Two aid workers killed in latest violent attack in conflict in eastern Congo

RUTH ALONGA, Associated Press

23 mins ago

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Two aid workers from the aid group Tearfund were killed in an attack on their convoy in eastern Congo, the group said, the latest in a series of attacks on aid groups and residents in the region.

The aid workers were killed on Sunday after their convoy arrived in the town of Butembo in North Kivu province, where armed rebels are fighting Congolese security forces, the organization said in a statement late Monday.

It was not immediately clear which group was behind the attack. More than 120 armed groups in eastern Congo have carried out attacks, often with bombs, on the population because they want a share of the region’s gold and other raw materials.

More than 170 such security incidents have targeted humanitarian workers, leaving at least four dead and more than a dozen people kidnapped, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Congo said on Tuesday, calling for the protection of aid workers.

“At a time of immense humanitarian need, it is unacceptable that those helping those affected are attacked and killed,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the humanitarian coordinator for Congo.

Violence in the province has escalated in recent months as security forces battle rebels. Last week, two people were killed in the region when mortar shells hit a South African military base that is part of a regional peacekeeping mission. Rebels have also captured more villages in recent weeks.

The M23 rebel group, which reportedly has links to neighboring Rwanda, is the most active in the region, having captured strategic towns and controlling about half of North Kivu province, said Richard Moncrieff, Crisis Group’s Great Lakes director.